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Raise your hand if you remember Team Canada’s starting goalie at the 2005 World Junior Hockey Championship in Grand Forks, N.D.

Jeff Glass certainly does.

How could he forget being the last line of defence for what is widely viewed as the best world junior team ever assembled?

“Looking back at that team it was one of the best experiences of my hockey career,” said Glass, who is into his fourth season tending goal in the Kontinental Hockey League after four seasons in the Ottawa Senators’ system. “Right from when I was named to the camp in December I knew that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. At the time, it was hard to believe I was on the ice with a few of the players, but I knew I had earned that opportunity. Once we got to actually playing hockey it was easy and just another team.”

Canadian head coach Brent Sutter and his staff took a simple approach in selecting his netminders.

“The biggest thing for us was getting the goalie we thought could really handle games, where he was not going to let in any bad goals and he was going to be strong mentally, because we weren’t going to give up more than 15 or 20 shots a game,” said Sutter. “He had to really stay focused and keep himself in the game.”

None of the four guys (current Edmonton Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk, Kevin Nastiuk and eventual backup Rejean Beauchemin were the others) invited to the December camp were involved in the summer evaluation process.

Glass got the start in the opening game against Slovakia, allowing three goals. But he would surrender only four in his next four starts, standing tall — while opponents such as Czech Republic captain Petr Vrana and Russian captain Alex Ovechkin essentially called him Canada’s weak link.

Glass didn’t get involved in the war of words — he let his play do the talking for him.

“Throughout the tournament, my job was to be consistent and solid every night. I was never tested a lot or forced to make spectacular saves, but I was called on in key moments to make big saves,” said Glass. “I like to pride myself on keeping sharp in those games when called on after going long stretches without a shot.”

Turns out that’s exactly what he did.

“With a team like that, all you needed from your goaltender was a guy who made the saves you needed him to make,” said Blair Mackasey, Team Canada’s head scout. “He never put the team in a hole. That’s important. He was very even-keeled. He just went about his business and stopped pucks. You don’t always get that in a goaltender. He was what we needed on that team.”

Watching the clock wind down in a 6-1 victory to capture the gold medal is etched in Glass’ memory.

“I will never forget the final minute of the game seeming to take forever and then the guys flying on to the ice after we won it,” said Glass. “Right from the coaching staff down, we were all on a mission for gold and were not going to let anyone get in our way.”

Jeff Glass remembers 2005's road to gold

Raise your hand if you remember Team Canada’s starting goalie at the 2005 World Junior Hockey Championship in Grand Forks, N.D.

Jeff Glass certainly does.

How could he forget being the last line of defence for what is widely viewed as the best world junior team ever assembled?

“Looking back at that team it was one of the best experiences of my hockey career,” said Glass, who is into his fourth season tending goal in the Kontinental Hockey League after four seasons in the Ottawa Senators’ system. “Right from when I was named to the camp in December I knew that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. At the time, it was hard to believe I was on the ice with a few of the players, but I knew I had earned that opportunity. Once we got to actually playing hockey it was easy and just another team.”